his own portion assigned him, Ps. 139: 16. Hence, to be blotted out from the book of life, is the same as to die, Ex. 32: 32. Ps. 69: 28. The meaning of the representation is this: God determines the beginning and the end of our lives; he is perfectly acquainted with our whole destiny; every thing in our whole existence depends upon him, and is under his control and government.

(P) As to its termination. However contingent the time of our death may appear, it is still at the disposal of God; Job 14: 5, "Thou hast appointed his bounds which he cannot pass." Ps. 90: 3, "Thou turnest man to destruction, and sayest, return, ye children of men." Ps. 31: 15. 39: 4, 5.-These texts, however, and others of a similar nature, have been often erroneously supposed to imply an unconditional decree of God, respecting the life and death of every man. Against this erroneous opinion of an unconditional decree of God, determining irrevocably the bounds of the life of man, the Christian teacher should carefully guard his hearers; since it is not unfrequently entertained even by those who are cultivated and enlightened, as well as by those who are ignorant. It may encourage the most rash and fool-hardy undertakings; and where it is thoroughly believed, and consistently carried out into action, it must lead to the neglect of the proper means of recovery from sickness, and of the necessary precautions against approaching danger. For if the fixed period of my life is now arrived, may one say who is of this opinion, these remedies can be of no service to me; if it is not yet come, they are wholly unnecessary. This error has been for a long time widely diffused over the east; and Mahommed himself was a strict fatalist and predestinarian. He believed that every event in the life, and the very hour of the death of every man, was settled by an unalterable predetermination. This doctrine has received the name of fatum Turcicum among modern European Christians; because among all the Mahommedans by whom it is professed, the Turks are those with whom the Europeans are most acquainted, and in whom they have seen the evil influence of this doctrine most clearly displayed. It would be more properly denominated fatum Muhammedicum. The opinion, that the bound of human life is unalterably determined, was also adopted by those ancient philosophers who believed in the doctrine of fate; vid. § 67. Hence the Stoical dilemma of which mention is made by Cicero, in his treatise "De Fato;" Si fatum tibi est, ex hoc morbo convalesce

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re, sive medicum adhibueris, sive non, convalesces; [and the saying, Nisi fatale agro mori, facile evadet: cui fatale mori, vel pediculi morsu conficeretur.] On this principle, suicide might be justified, or at least palliated, as has been actually done. God does indeed, in every case foresee and know, how long a man will live; and the result will perfectly agree with this foreknowledge, since the omniscient God cannot be mistaken in what he knows. But to stop here, would be to take only a partial view of some of the divine attributes, which would lead into error. God has indeed formed a purpose respecting the length of the life of every man; but for the very reason that he is omniscient, he has formed this purpose only on consideration of natural and moral causes; his providence therefore does not make it in itself unconditionally necessary, that any man should die at such a particular time. The purpose of God is a conditional one, founded upon a knowledge of all the circumstances into which the individual who is the object of it would come, and also upon the knowledge of all his free actions; vid. § 32, I. ad finem. God foresees how the body of every man will be constituted; in what situation it will be placed; of what character his moral actions will be, and what consequences will flow from them; etc. And from his foreknowledge of all these circumstances respecting him, God forms his purpose, fixing the termination of his life. The bodily constitution which a man brings with him into the world, and which is afterwards affected by so many circumstances, perfectly known to God, and under his control, is one of the conditions upon which the purpose of God respecting the end of human life is founded; and this period, so far as it depends upon our bodily constitution, cannot be passed over. When the clock runs down, it stops; when the flower blossoms, it fades; and man cannot give himself a new body; nor can God, except by miracle. This period of life, depending upon the natural constitution of the body, and upon other natural circumstances, is called the natural bound of human life; and this cannot be prolonged by man himself. Now if a man dies earlier, than he would naturally have done, whether from his own fault, or that of others, or from some outward accident (the cause, however, of whatever kind, being known to God, and under his providence and control); his death is said to be unnatural, extraordinary, or sometimes consequens, in opposition to the other, which is called antecedens. The cases here supposed are described in

the Bible by the phrases, to fulfill one's days (2 y 2) or, not to fulfill them, Is. 65: 20. And in this way, are we to understand those passages, in which God is said to lengthen out, or to abridge the life of man. The meaning of these terms is, that God so directs the course of nature, that a particular man lives longer than he would naturally have lived, or than he was expected to live. Hence it appears, that man can do nothing himself to prolong his life beyond the natural limits of human existence; but that he may do much to shorten it.-To return now to the Stoical dilemma. When a man is sick, he must call for a physician, and make use of prescribed remedies; because he cannot be certain, that the end of his life has now come. The purpose of God respecting his life or his death, is in this case, as we must conceive it, merely conditional. If he uses the proper means, he will recover; if not, he will die; and God, as he is omniscient, knows which of these courses he will pursue, and therefore whether he will die or live.-A vehement controversy arose on this subject in the seventeenth century, between the reformed philosophers and some theologians of the Netherlands, on occasion of the work of Beverovicius, Quaestiones Epistolicae de vitæ termino fatali, Dortrecht, 1634, 8vo, and enlarged, Leiden, 1636, 4to.

(b) Our powers depend upon God. These powers are very various; but they may be classed under two general divisions, the powers of soul and of body,—spiritual and corporeal powers. Now as man did not give himself these powers, so neither can he retain possession of them by his own strength or skill. Hence they are justly described in the Bible, as the gift of God. Worldly respectability, mental endowments, sound judgment, memory, learning, all are given by God;—and that one man surpasses another in these respects, is owing to his will, and his wise government, Ex. 4: 11. James 1: 17. 1 Cor. 4: 7. Those happy combinations of circumstances by which we are sometimes enabled to accomplish with ease the enterprises with regard to which we and others were ready to despair, are to be ascribed to God, although we are often disposed to consider them as the effect of chance. We owe the success of all our undertakings, not to our own wisdom and skill, but solely to the wise and benevolent providence of God. To lead men to feel this, is a great object with the sacred writers, who every where recommend to them the exercise of these pious and humble dispositions,

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by which they may be strengthened in their faith in God, and preserved against pride and selfish blindness. Hence they always ascribe the powers of man, and his success in exercising them, directly to God, as the first cause; in such a way, however, that second causes, which also depend upon him, are not excluded. Morus, p. 77, n. 1, 2. In this connexion, reference should be made to Ps. cxxvII., where we are taught, that our most strenuous efforts will be in vain, unless God grants us success.

Note. Such meditations respecting the preservation of our existence, powers, and the healthful and successful employment of them, are very instructive and practical. They are calculated to fill our minds with peace and joy, and to excite hearty gratitude to God. Christ makes use of these considerations to show us, that we should not be distrustful of God, and should not trouble ourselves with anxious cares. Since God takes so much care of the various orders of being, of beasts, and even of inanimate things, how much more will he care for us, to whom he has given a destination by far more noble than theirs! Matt. 6: 25, sq. He especially warns us against anxious cares as to our bodily support; since they withdraw us from more important concerns, and render us disqualified for religion, and divine instruction. Luke 8: 14, αἱ μέριμναι τοῦ βίου συμπνίγουσι τὸν λόγον, the cares of life prevent the efficacy of divine truth upon our hearts.

$70. Of the government of God.

I. Statement of this doctrine.

From what has already been said, it appears, that God is perfectly acquainted with all the efficient causes which exist, both those which are free in their agency, and those that are otherwise; that he knows every act of these causes, and all the effects which they produce, and that he guides and controls them all at his pleasure, and makes them subservient to his own designs. And it is in this his guiding and controlling all the changes and all the actions of his creatures, so as to promote the highest good of the whole, and of each part, that the government of God consists. The good of the whole involves that of all the parts of which it is made up; and one cannot be secured exclusively of the other. The sum of the good of all the individuals under the government of God, constitutes the

514 ART. VIII. § 70. PRINCIPles respecting divine goveRNMENT.

good of the whole. Hence the propriety of making the good of each part an object of the government of God.

In order to form a correct judgment respecting the good secured in the world under the government of God,-a subject on which mistakes are very common, the following principles should be kept in mind.

1. The degree of perfection and happiness attainable by dif ferent beings, varies according to their different relations. All beings are not susceptible of an equal degree of good. The beast, for example, secks for nothing farther than the satisfaction of his hunger and thirst, and the gratification of his other natural appetites. But moral beings require more than this for their happiness; they have a higher destination, and are capable of a higher good. And even among men themselves, the external good of which they are capable, is different according to the original constitution, the abilities, and even the age of different individuals. The good which would be adapted to a child, is not such as would satisfy the desires of a man.

2. Such is the constitution which God has given to the world, that the happiness of one is often subordinate, and must be sacrificed to the happiness of another. This is clearly taught by experience; though doubtless philosophers would prove, if the testimony of experience were not so explicit, that this could not be so. We find, however, that many animals serve for the nourishment of others, by whom they are constantly devoured. And how many of them are there which daily suffer from the free actions of men! For us, with all our short-sightedness, to call in question the wisdom and justice of what God thus ordains, or permits, and to suppose that it could or should have been otherwise, is unwarrantable presumption. It is enough for us to know, that such is the divine plan, which we are unable fully to comprehend, but which, for the very reason that God chose it, is the wisest, best, and most adapted to its ends. So we are taught by the Holy Scriptures, and farther than this, with all our speculative philosophy, we cannot go. Vid. § 48, ad finem, and § 71, II.

3. Happiness is frequently connected with certain conditions, on the fulfillment of which our enjoyment of it depends. For example, the enjoyment of good health depends in a great measure upon temperance. If any one fails to comply with these establish